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Cisco® Session Management Function (SMF) provides a central function in the 5G SA mobile core and enables QoS control, 4G-5G mobility handover, and charging controls for data and voice sessions.
Cisco Session Management Function (SMF) is a control plane network function (NF) of the 5G core (5GC). SMF is responsible for session management with supported individual functions on a per-session basis. Cisco SMF performs its session control per 3GPP specification, augmented with specific value-add functions from Cisco.
The Cisco SMF also enables:
● Cloud-native architecture to simplify automated operation
● Bare-metal deployment model maximizing hardware efficiency
● Built-in automation for operational flexibility and affinity
SMF functionalities:
● Session management, such as session establishment, modification, and release, including establishing a tunnel between the UPF and the AN node.
● UE IP address allocation and management, including an optional authorization.
● Perform DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 functions, both as server and client.
● Perform ARP Proxying and IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation Proxying functionality for the Ethernet PDUs. The SMF communicates with the ARP and the IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation Request by providing the MAC address. This address is corresponding to the IP address that exists in the request.
● Select and control the UP function for Ethernet PDU sessions. UP functions include controlling the UPF to proxy ARP or IPv6 Neighbor Discovery and forwarding all ARP or IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation traffic to the SMF.
● Configure Traffic Steering at UPF to route traffic to the corresponding Data Network (DN).
● Terminate interfaces toward Policy Control Functions.
● Handle the Lawful Intercept for SM events and interface to the LI system.
● Control and synchronize the charging data collection at UPF.
● Terminate the SM parts of NAS messages.
● Route packets and ensure the delivery information through Downlink Data Notification.
● Initiate the AN-specific SM information that is sent through AMF to AN over the N2 interface.
● Determine the SSC mode of a session.
● Provide the following roaming functionalities:
◦ Manage the local enforcement to apply QoS SLAs (VPLMN).
◦ Collect charging data and support the charging interfaces.
◦ Support communication with external DN. The communication is for the transport of signaling for the PDU Session authorization or authentication by an external DN.
| Feature |
Benefit |
| SMF+S5-c support to enable 4G-5G interworking for dual-mode devices |
Common, converged GW that could anchor 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G devices with flexible configuration options to support different use cases |
| IP address management |
The SMF supports “centralized” management of IP address allocation across the distributed UPFs |
| PCEF on SMF |
Better and easier policy management and UPF management |
| High-availability and migration/upgrades without disruption |
No downtime, and upgraded service continuity without any outages |
| SMF – NRF interactions |
Standards-based NRF support, including Heart-beat and Failure-Handling |
| UPF node selection |
Rich and configurable, including local configurations and prioritizations |
| LI support on SMF |
Standards and regulatory from Day 1 deployment |
Completely cloud-native implementation from the ground up
● Three-layered, microservices-based architecture
● Common services abstracted (SMI, CDL) for efficiency and consistency across different cloud-native network functions
● Converged core evolution for deployment flexibility
No vendor lock-in; truly open interfaces
● All SBI interfaces are fully 3GPP compliant
● S5-c, S2b-c (GTP) – fully 3GPP compliant
● Standard-complaint N4 (with optional proprietary extensions)
Leverage deep expertise in 2G/3G/4G x-GW to enable feature parity over multiple releases
Field-proven in different Tier-1 deployments
Smooth migration to 5G with zero-to-minimal service disruption
| Product Family |
Platforms Supported |
| Cisco Ultra 5G Cloud Core SMF |
VMware 6.5 |
| OpenStack |
|
| Bare metal |
|
| Google Cloud |
| Application base |
Per 5G application, per cluster - SMF |
| Sessions (increments of 1000) |
Per 5G application, network-wide - SMF |
| Cisco Ultra 5G Cloud Core SMF specifications |
| Cisco Ultra Cloud Core Platform Software |
| Cisco Ultra Cloud Core 5G SMF Software |
| Server |
UCS-C220-M5 |
| Processor |
2 x 6148 CPU (20 cores @ 2.4GHz) |
| NIC |
2 x Intel® XL710 Dual-Port 40G QSFP+ NIC or Intel XXV710 Dual-Port 25G QSFP+ NIC |
| RAM |
384 GB |
| Local disk storage |
2 x 800 GB SSD |
| Part # |
Product description |
| UCC5G-SMF-BAS-L |
UCC - Session Management Function (SMF), Base Minimum |
| UCC5G-SMF-S31-L |
UCC - Session Management Function (SMF), 1K sessions |
| UCC5G-SMF-BAS-S |
UCC - Session Management Function (SMF), Base Minimum SIA |
| UCC5G-SMF-S31-S |
UCC - Session Management Function (SMF), 1K sessions SIA |
Cisco Ultra Cloud Core 5G SMF has the standard Cisco software warranty.
Cisco environmental sustainability
Information about Cisco’s environmental sustainability policies and initiatives for our products, solutions, operations, and extended operations or supply chain is provided in the “Environment Sustainability” section of Cisco’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report.
Reference links to information about key environmental sustainability topics (mentioned in the “Environment Sustainability” section of the CSR Report) are provided in the following table:
| Sustainability topic |
Reference |
| Information on product material content laws and regulations |
|
| Information on electronic waste laws and regulations, including products, batteries, and packaging |
Cisco makes the packaging data available for informational purposes only. It may not reflect the most current legal developments, and Cisco does not represent, warrant, or guarantee that it is complete, accurate, or up to date. This information is subject to change without notice.
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